{"id":1619,"date":"2025-11-11T11:26:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T12:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/?p=1619"},"modified":"2025-11-13T13:45:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T13:45:03","slug":"bird-watching-in-borneo-a-biological-treasure-chest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/11\/bird-watching-in-borneo-a-biological-treasure-chest\/","title":{"rendered":"Bird Watching in Borneo\u2014A Biological Treasure Chest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Big, beautiful and brimming with life, Borneo is a \u201cbiological treasure chest,\u201d says Court Whelan<\/a><\/strong>, Chief Sustainability Officer at Natural Habitat Adventures.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up, watching nature documentaries, getting into biology, Borneo was so high on my list because it set the bar for what real tropical wilderness could look like,\u201d adds Whelan, who\u2019s also led Nat Hab expeditions on the island\u2014Asia\u2019s largest\u2014since 2017. \u201cAnd I can tell you: Each and every expedition leaves me more and more satisfied with what I discover.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no wonder: Among its leafy coasts, labyrinthine mangroves and lush rainforests\u2014among Earth\u2019s oldest\u2014Borneo shelters myriad species, including more than 5,000 flowering plants, 3,000 trees and 200 terrestrial mammals<\/strong>, such as pygmy elephants, clouded leopards and endangered orangutans.<\/p>\n

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And while those orangutans<\/strong><\/a> are typically what first draw travelers to the island, once people visit, they open a treasure chest of all the other remarkable things about Borneo. This includes rare flora and fauna finds ranging from nature\u2019s largest bloom (the monster corpse flower) to \u201cflying\u201d lemurs and frogs, along with an immense trove of avian species\u2014700-plus (including more than 50 endemics) by some counts\u2014that makes Borneo one of the world\u2019s top spots for birding<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So, which birds can you hope to see on Nat Hab\u2019s Wilds of Borneo: Orangutans & Beyond<\/a><\/strong> adventure and our Borneo Wildlife Photo Expedition<\/a>? How can you distinguish a female rhinoceros hornbill from a male? What\u2019s the secret to achieving a beautiful \u201cbokeh\u201d effect while photographing a black-and-red broadbill? And what are Nat Hab and our travel partner World Wildlife Fund doing to help ensure Borneo\u2019s forests remain friendly for our feathered friends?<\/p>\n

Grab your best binocs and field notebook, and let\u2019s get birding. It\u2019s time to add to your life list!<\/p>\n

\"Rhinoceros<\/p>\n

Birds in the Bush: A Few of Our Favorite Finds in Borneo<\/h2>\n

Must-see No. 1.: Borneo\u2019s national bird, the rhinoceros hornbill<\/strong>, is \u201cabsolutely extraordinary,\u201d says Whelan. A frequent motif in Bornean art and dance, the rhino hornbill sports a long yellow bill below an orange-red, pompadour-esque casque that contrasts with its shiny black-and-white plumage. Males\u2019 irises are red, and females\u2019, white.<\/p>\n

Look for these birds while boating the Kinabatangan River and its network of floodplains, one of the many birding meccas in Sabah, the Malaysian state of northern Borneo (other parts of the island belong to Brunei and Indonesia).<\/p>\n

While birdwatching here, you\u2019ll also find the rhino\u2019s more conservatively clad cousins, bushy-crested hornbills<\/strong> (draped in dark-brown plumage save for bare bluish skin around their eyes), along with Borneo\u2019s six other hornbill species. Endemic ground cuckoos and Bornean bristleheads, vacationing ruddy kingfishers and even endangered Storm\u2019s storks are also known to frequent the floodplains.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bonus: The Kinabatangan floodplains are ideal for photographing birds in flight, says Whelan. Keep your head up and camera poised for soaring Brahminy kites<\/strong> (Borneo\u2019s version of bald eagles), which look especially sublime from below (unless you\u2019re a fish).<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Brahminy kites<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Night cruises along the Kinabatangan allow travelers to sidle up along sleeping birds like stork-billed kingfishers<\/strong>, shawled beneath bright blue remiges (wing feathers).<\/p>\n

\"Storkbilled<\/p>\n

Stork-billed kingfisher \u00a9 Brad Josephs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Nat Hab travelers may glimpse buffy fish owls, known for their gorgeous golden eyes,<\/strong> on the river at night.<\/p>\n

\"Buffy<\/p>\n

Buffy fish owl<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Farther south in Sabah state lies the Danum Valley and the Danum Valley Conservation Area, where more than 325 bird species have been recorded. Highlights include flashy blue-headed pittas, more modestly colored giant pittas, Bornean wren-babblers and, on an especially good day, critically endangered helmeted hornbills. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Helmeted hornbill<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A stay at the secluded Borneo Rainforest Lodge and strolls across surrounding canopy walkways provide bird\u2019s-eye views of the densely vegetated valley. Likely sightings include black-and-red broadbills<\/strong> (maroon underparts match nicely with a black breast-band), great slaty woodpeckers (the world\u2019s largest woodpecker species)<\/strong>, endemic white-crowned shamas<\/strong> and migrating fairy pittas<\/strong> with aquamarine sequined wings.<\/p>\n

\"Western<\/p>\n

Fairy pitta<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Visits to places such as Bako National Park, Semenggoh Orangutan Center and Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary offer additional opportunities to spy more birds of Borneo\u2014and the island\u2019s other wildlife stars<\/strong><\/a>. Just remember: Keep your life list at hand\u2014it\u2019s likely to fill up fast. Extra points if you spot a spectacled flowerpecker, identified as a new species in 2019<\/strong>, or a black-browed babbler, recently rediscovered in Borneo\u2019s rainforests 172 years after it was first seen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the Birds: Borneo\u2019s Avian Conservation in Action<\/h2>\n

Sadly, the birds of Borneo face a staggering number of threats, landing scores of the island\u2019s avian species on the IUCN Red List<\/strong>, including many with vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered status.<\/p>\n

Chief among those threats, according to WWF, are the illegal wildlife trade; extractive industries such as precious hardwoods, rubber and coal; and hunting (despite its status as vulnerable, even Borneo\u2019s iconic rhinoceros hornbill is often hunted for its meat and tail feathers). Rapid deforestation\u201474% of Borneo was covered in forest in 1985, compared to only 33% in 2020\u2014and ever-expanding palm oil plantations are also decimating critical avian habitats. This is especially concerning, given the natural role Borneo\u2019s birds play in dispersing seeds for fruit trees while growing its forests.<\/p>\n

To reverse the tide, WWF works with local communities and governments in Borneo<\/strong><\/a>, pressing for responsible forestry, sustainable agriculture and increased transparency to ensure a safe future for all the island\u2019s species. One of WWF\u2019s largest successes, the Heart of Borneo project, helped preserve stretches of Bornean rainforest larger than the state of Kansas.<\/p>\n

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